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At M.Y. China the food is good, but the wine service is lacking. The San Francisco Chronicle

Here’s an email from a reader that hits squarely on my pet peeves about restaurant wine service:

A couple of friends and I went to M.Y. China last night for dinner. The food was very good if a little over priced but I was very surprised by the poor wine service. They have a fairly decent if small selection of whites and reds with some pretty tall mark ups. We ordered a white first and got the standard white wine glass. But when we ordered a $68 Pinot Noir (Four Graces 2010) they brought another set of white wine glasses! I made a comment to the waiter that he mistakenly brought the wrong glass and his response was that this was the only wine glass they had. He went on to explain that he doesn’t run the wine program and that the type of glass wouldn’t affect the enjoyment of the wine.

There are a lot of people that would disagree with his last statement and I mentioned that if the restaurant was pricing themselves (both food and wine) into a higher end bracket then their clientele is going to expect the correct glasses. I ask, are my expectations too high? Am I too spoiled by other SF restaurants?

I think this diner’s expectations are in line. However M.Y. China isn’t anywhere near the only restaurant that offers wine service that isn’t commensurate with the food or the prices. Anyone who reads my restaurant reviews knows this is one of my pet peeves.

On my four visits to the restaurant it seemed the cocktail program was more important than the wine offerings, but that shouldn’t let them — or any restaurant serving wine — off the hook. In my review published January 27, the last line of my wine list analysis stated: “Wine service is spotty, glassware is limited and you really aren’t getting good value. At these markups, the experience should be better.”

That means proper glassware, and even more importantly, the wines should be stored at the proper temperature. I’d estimate that in more than half the restaurants I visit, the red wines are served too warm. They should be at cellar temperature (in the mid 50 degree range) rather than at room temperature.

If a restaurant is going to charge high mark ups, the diner should expect that the wine is served and stored properly. It doesn’t happen often enough.